House of Horrors Turpin couple SMILE to each other in court as more abuse charges brought

EVIL: David and Louise Turpin exchange a glance as more child abuse charges are brought

The grinning ghouls are accused of keeping 13 children imprisoned, chained and starved in a squalid suburban home.

The evil pair were advised of three new charges of abuse during a brief hearing at Riverside County Superior Court in California on Friday.

A spokesman for the district attorney’s office said the new charges included three counts of child abuse and Louise was also charged with a felony assault.

Speaking outside court attorney spokesman John Hall said: “Further investigation we have been doing in this case led us to amend the complaint, which is not uncommon.”

The Turpins were arrested on January 14 at their home in Perris, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, after an emaciated teenage girl climbed out of a window of the house and called police.

Officers responding to the scene found her 12 siblings ranging in age from two to 29 inside, suffering from malnourishment, muscle wasting and other signs of severe abuse.

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HORROR: The couple face charges of abusing 13 children

Defence lawyers have told the court they were sceptical they could be ready to proceed with a preliminary hearing in the case in May because of the amount of evidence turned over by prosecutors.

Both defendants are in jail with bail set at $12 million and are prohibited from contacting their children.

The children will not be required to testify during the preliminary hearing, at which a judge determines if there is enough evidence to bind the defendants over for trial, under a California law that allows police officers to summarise their testimony.

The Turpins will be ordered back to court on March 23 for another hearing in the case.